Boricua baby rd 1

First day in San Juan 01-6-11

spanish cobblestone

entrada escudo

flying kites and loving

sunset with the bacardi factory in the background

cementario

the fuente

la muralla lit up

plaza colon

atardecer san cristobal

atardecer desde el castillo

view from fortaleza guest house

fortaleza hall

dormitorio

This place is absolutely gorgeous. After a long flight through the night from Denver to San Juan with little or no quality sleep, I finally arrive at la isla del encanto at about 2:30 PM.  As always when I arrive at my final destination, I don’t quite know where I’m going but I act like I do. After picking up my bags I head straight to the tourist office, where I figured I could use some information. So, with a map and a clear direction, I wait for other people that are headed the same direction as I, el Viejo San Juan,  taking a taxi in the most economical way possible.  As always, I have an initial learning experience. After the taxi driver drops off my taxi mates Bob and his wife from North Carolina, I tell the conductor to take me a couple blocks to my hostel, the Fortaleza guest house. I should have walked and pretended I was with them, because the driver charged me as a separate passenger and I had to negotiate him down from $20 to $15. I got jipped in Cartagena, Colombia less than 6 months ago for taking an unmarked taxi and not knowing the going rate. Always ask the locals, and always ask first!

As a budget traveler it is a little hard in San Juan, but possible.  I ate dinner street food, some patata rellena and the platano with carne(don’t remember the exact name) for $3.50 and enjoyed a frothy cold surprise of medalla beer for another $3.25 on the street. I figure in the future my meals will either consist of street food or cooking at the hostels to keep things reasonable. Though PR is an American territory and you see the influence rampant here in a confusing juxtaposition of narrow Spanish streets and huge American SUV’s that results in traffic nightmares, I can still sense the inner latin drive alive and thriving in the local people. I assume when I get out of SJ, the latin flare will surface itself even more.

For the sunset I walked around the Viejo san juan and trekked around the castillos el morro y san cristobal, and after seeing my fair share of stunning women already and a surreal sunset backdropped by the Spanish fort, palm trees, the Bacardi castle off in the distance, Puerto Ricans flying kites and old men playing dominoes, I end my day without realizing the lack of sleep I’ve had over the last 24 hours. I am ecstatic to be here, and this is just my cup of tea. San Juan is just like a Cartagena but there are less hagglers, it is cleaner, and distinctly confusing.  It’s going to be a wild ride. When some girls yelled out “welcum to Puerto Rico bebe” in thick accents from their sedan blasting reggaeton I knew. And when I was asked to take a picture during sunset of a group of students my age who were surprised at how well I spoke Spanish I knew.  And when the professor in line at the street food vendor told me she taught at the Inter(where I’m going to study)and I should come by and visit her if I have any questions I felt the calorcito de su gente, y el futuro mío que se abrirá muchas puertas. What I have seen now and the notion and feelings I already feel for this enchanted place will only grow stronger.

cristobal macro

el faro

I wanted to see the clash of American and latin, and here it is wrapped up in a densely packed 110 by 30 mile package that seems like it has too many things to see in too little time. School starts in less than 2 weeks, on the 18, and I wish I had 2 months to explore this island before I had to study. But, as things are, I will just have to take a taste of everything, from the clubs and old city life, to the cosmopolitan, the street food, the waves, the surf, the mountains and caves, and the little backroads that define places so well. Welcome to the real Puerto Rico, the bueno, the malo, y lo feo on a humid sticky tropical platter of plantains and rice, all sauced up and ready to dance.

Tomorrow, I think I’ll go to the beach, find and internet café to check the status of my application, find a way to get to other parts of the city including rio piedras, and take a bus público.

la calle navidadeña